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- RIM's CEO promises a focus on enterprise
Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins vowed to overhaul the BlackBerry-maker after the company suffered its first fourth-quarter decline in shipments since 2006 and analysts saw little room for optimism. Heins said the company would consider all options, including a sale. The changes were dramatic: Former co-CEO Jim Balsillie will leave the company, as will two other top executives, and Heins said RIM would return to targeting its core business customers while limiting its consumer appeal to a selected group. "Whether it means we'll build hardware or whether we engage in other partnerships is exactly part of the strategic review," Heins said. The Wall Street Journal
(3/30), Bloomberg Businessweek
(3/29), Reuters
(3/30), Computerworld/IDG News Service
(3/29), Reuters
(3/29)      
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Imagining a RIM sale: Research In Motion would likely attract few potential buyers, but companies would be tempted to pursue the company's software assets, network and wireless patent portfolio, bankers said Thursday after CEO Thorsten Heins said the company would pursue all strategic options. The Canadian government might move to block any sale to foreign interests, the bankers added. The Wall Street Journal
(3/29)
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- Verizon looks to offer an integrated mobile video service
Verizon Communications could introduce an integrated mobile video service by the holidays if the government approves the carrier's deal to buy wireless spectrum from cable companies and enter into cross-marketing arrangements with them, CEO Lowell C. McAdam said Thursday. The cross-platform offering could serve subscribers at Verizon's wireless and FiOS TV units as well as the cable partners, he added. Cable networks have indicated a readiness to provide service on an a la carte basis rather than forcing subscribers to buy content in prescribed bundles, McAdam said. The Wall Street Journal
(3/30)
- Sprint outlines LTE network progress, reveals coverage map
Sprint Nextel on Thursday provided a coverage map for the Long-Term Evolution network the carrier says will be completed by 2014. Speaking an industry event, Bob Azzi, a senior vice president, offered an update on the progress of Sprint's Network Vision project, saying most of the upgrades will be completed by the end of next year. Engadget
(3/30), Light Reading Mobile
(3/29)
- Best Buy to focus on smaller mobile outlets
Best Buy will close 50 of its big-box stores and cut 400 corporate and support jobs as part of a plan to restructure and trim $800 million in costs, CEO Brian Dunn said Thursday. The chain, which faces growing competition from online retailers whose lower overhead allows them to sell electronics for less, also plans to begin opening much smaller stores that focus on selling mobile devices. The Wall Street Journal
(3/29), Reuters
(3/29)
| Mobile Apps | | |
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- Bump app allows users to transfer funds
Bump has developed a mobile application that lets iPhone owners transfer money by bumping hands. The company has deployed the same technology it uses for its contact-transfer app: smartphone owners exchange e-mail addresses, bump hands and feel a vibration when the cash is changing ownership. The service is available only through PayPal. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)
(3/29)
| Technology | | |
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- Google will sell co-branded tablet
Google plans to ratchet up its competition with Apple's iPad by marketing an Android tablet carrying its brand that will be produced by a number of manufacturers, according to a published report, which points to the mediocre sales performance of most Android tablets to date. Google, which says it broke even on its first self-branding effort, the Nexus One smartphone, plans to sell the tablets through an online store. The Wall Street Journal
(3/30)
 | International CTIA WIRELESS® 2012 Keynote Speakers Announced
Executives from Pandora, AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel Corporation, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Electronic Arts, Mozilla, Spotify and Visa will be keynote speakers at International CTIA WIRELESS® 2012! President Bill Clinton will conclude the show with a day three keynote at 2 p.m. CDT. Register today to attend!
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| CTIA News | | |
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- AccessWireless.org empowers wireless customers
Award-winning AccessWireless.org is the initial website that consumers should visit for information about accessible wireless devices and services. The site features the innovative "Find a Phone" search tool from the Mobile Manufacturer Forum's Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative. For the first time in the U.S., consumers can search and compare the accessibility features of a variety of wireless devices to fit their accessibility needs. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski recognized the site in 2011 with the Chairman's Award for Advancement in Accessibility for its innovative efforts to help consumers with disabilities benefit from the country's communications technologies. Check out AccessWireless.org today!
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